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Your Business Deserves Spring Cleaning, Too

When spring blooms outside, you might think of cleaning your home or preparing your garden beds.

But what about your small business? Doesn’t it deserve a thorough spring cleaning, too?

You or your staff may follow a checklist to keep your business looking great day in and day out. But just like your home deserves a deep cleaning after a long winter, so does your business!

Look at your business with fresh eyes this spring, and get to work tidying up one or more of the following:

1. Old documents

Why are you holding on to so much old paper? In this digital age, it’s much easier to keep business records without having sensitive data taking up physical space.

You don’t even need to keep paper copies of your taxes anymore. Seven years of scanned copies is all you need for later reference or in the event of an audit.

Take time to go through your files and determine which physical documents are truly essential to keep on hand. Then, scan and save documents you’d like to have available electronically, and shred the rest.

Already a pro at keeping digital records? Take a look through your folders on your desktop or in the cloud to see what you have saved — and ask yourself if you really need all of it.

2. Broken equipment

Convinced you’ll someday get around to fixing that old printer that jams all the time? If you don’t have a plan to repair broken equipment or call in a professional, set aside time to unload it.

Craigslist, Freecycle groups or neighborhood listservs can help you give away non-working items to tinkerers who can salvage parts.

3. Unnecessary supplies

It never fails: You stock up on a certain fixture or finding, then change your product design. Having leftover or unopened supplies is inevitable, no matter how well you plan to avoid waste. Consider having a sample sale, in-person or electronic yard sale, or swap to put your surplus in good hands. If you know a school or other program who could put those supplies to good use, consider making a materials donation.

4. Your business website

What’s on your business website? If it contains old specials, out-of-date staff bios, blurry photos or off-trend design features, it’s time to give it a good spring cleaning.

This is one project that may be worth outsourcing. If you’re not a web whiz, your time may be spent elsewhere in your business while a professional spends a fraction of the time making your requested changes.

5. Clutter

Take a critical look around your workspace. Does everything have a purpose? Is everything being used, stored mindfully, or displayed with care? If you see piles of paperwork, stacks of old merchandise, or dust bunnies in corners, it’s time to clean your space.

Regardless of whether clients or customers see the area in question, you’ll no doubt be more productive in a fresh, tidy space.

Want a fresh perspective on your small business for the new season? Contact a SCORE mentor! A routine business check-up can help kickstart brainstorming and innovation.

About the Author(s)

Bridget Weston is the CEO of the SCORE Association, where she provides executive leadership and works directly and collaboratively with the Board of Directors to establish the vision and direction of SCORE.

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.